Wi-Fi has always been an integral component for the networking infrastructure, specifically for the IT world. It is also clearly evident that technological world has been pacing at a exuberant speed. Previously, the nomenclature of the Wi-Fi was so perplexing that people could hardly remember them. But now they have simpler naming system. Also, we have so many versions available which offers so much different experience that people could hardly choose which suits them better. At present, the world is buzzing about the new version: Wi-Fi 6 Vs Wi-Fi 7.
Wi-Fi is a wireless networking technology that enables wireless communication between computers and other devices. It covers network elements that adhere to one of the IEEE’s 802.11 standards, which the Wi-Fi Alliance later embraced. Early in 2020, Wi-Fi 6, a user-friendly rebranding of the technical format 802.11ax, became the most recent Wi-Fi standard. Older Wi-Fi versions like 802.11ac and 802.11n are now referred to as Wi-Fi 5 and Wi-Fi 4, respectively.
The official release of Wi-Fi 6/6E wasn’t too long ago. However, a new moniker in the world of Wi-Fi is emerging: Wi-Fi 7.
What is Wifi6? What is Wi-Fi 7? What is Wi-Fi 6 best router? Difference between Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7? You might have come across such queries while learning about these new trends. Well, this article will be briefly explaining these two technologies and their differences.
Let’s get started.
What is Wi-Fi 6?
Wi-Fi 6 adheres to the 2019-introduced IEEE 802.11ax specifications. Wi-Fi 6 has been available for long enough to be used in numerous big production settings and has seen decent uptake in the market for consumer wireless routers. Enterprise deployments of Wi-Fi 6E are only getting started, and their modest growth is being hampered by the present supply chain issues. Compared to the Wi-Fi 5 technology, the Wi-Fi 6 technology provides data rates that are 40% quicker. The 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands are supported. The Wi-Fi 6E increases the range of the 6 GHz bands.
You’ll need a Wi-Fi 6 router running your smart home in order to take advantage of the fastest speeds and the newest features. There are several Wi-Fi 6 routers available in the market you can get your hand on. You should make sure they offer you best speed, range and compatibility.
Features of Wi-Fi 6
- Released Date: 2019
- Standard: IEEE 802.11 ax
- Maximum Data Capacity: 10GBps
- QAM Modulation: 1024 QAM
- Security: WPA3
- Data Streams: MU-MIMO (8 Streams)
- Max number of spatial streams:8×8 UL/DL MU-MIMO
- Access Points: 1
- Single Channel Width: 16 MHz
Wi-Fi 6 Updates
There are three technological update which makes Wi-Fi 6 better than Wi-Fi 5:
- MU-MIMO: improves the Wi-Fi experience by enabling a Wi-Fi AP to communicate with several devices at once. Even in high-density networks that make use of bandwidth-intensive applications, MU-MIMO can dramatically increase throughput.
- 1024-QAM: enables Wi-Fi 6 APs and devices to enhance data rates by 25%. By adding additional data to each transmission, the technology increases spectral efficiency by altering the phase and amplitude of radio waves.
- OFDMA: consists of splitting a Wi-Fi channel into smaller frequency blocks, or “resource units,” for short. By allocating them to particular resource units, this enables an AP to communicate with numerous clients.
What is Wi-Fi 7?
The next-generation Wi-Fi standard, often known as 802.11be, focuses on “Extremely High Throughput” (EHT). Additionally, Qualcomm unveiled the FastConnect 7800, the first chip supporting the standard, at the end of February 2022, effectively making Wi-Fi 7 a reality and putting it on the horizon. Companies that produce Wi-Fi 7 chips have already made the claim that the new standard will displace conventional Ethernet cables. However, despite how quickly it is, Wi-Fi functions fundamentally differently from conventional networking, so take it with a grain of salt.
The ambitious Wi-Fi 7 project concentrates its advances on the fundamental PHY and MAC layers. Wi-Fi 7 adds 320 MHz bandwidth, 4K-QAM, Multi-RU, and improved MU-MIMO to the physical layer. Wi-Fi 7 uses Multi-Link Operation (MLO) to enable link aggregation at the MAC layer for greater network performance. With the help of these cutting-edge technologies, Wi-Fi 7 outperforms Wi-Fi 6 in terms of network throughput and network latency.
Wi-Fi 7 is hailed as a major facilitator for a variety of new virtual reality and augmented reality applications due to its claimed latency of less than 5 milliseconds and possible capacity well above 30 Gbps.
Features of Wi-Fi 7
- Wi-Fi 7 Release Date: 2024 expected
- Standard: IEEE 802.11 be
- Maximum Data Capacity: 46GBps
- QAM Modulation: 4096 QAM with OFDMA (extensions)
- Security: WPA3
- Data Streams: CMU-MIMO (16 streams)
- Max number of spatial streams: 16
- Access Points: Multiple
- Single Channel Width: 320 MHz
Wi-Fi 7 Updates
- Multi-AP Coordination: The idea behind multi-AP is that two different APs can send data to the same client simultaneously; cutting the amount of time it takes to send data in half.
- Automated Frequency Coordination: By anticipatorily generating “private” airspace based on the present real-world circumstances, which it can operate in without being constrained by rules, as is the case with Wi-Fi 6 and older standards, AFC compliance will aid a Wi-Fi broadcaster in improving range and connection speeds.
- Noncontiguous 240/160+80 MHz bandwidth: With the use of this new feature, a channel that consumes 160 MHz of spectrum might be created by combining 80 MHz of spectrum from the U-NII-2a band (channels 52 through 64) with the U-NII-3 band (channels 149 through 161).
- Target Wake Time (TWT): enables client devices to remain in a sleep state until they need to access the network, which helps preserve battery life in those devices.
Wi-Fi 6 Vs Wi-Fi 7
Examining the many distinctions between the two versions can help you find the best solution to this. The increase in channel width, the QAM, and the shift in theoretical maximum speed are the three biggest differences which need to be checked before choosing the best.
Talking about the speed, although Wi-Fi 6 has a fast maximum speed of 9.6 Gbps, Wi-Fi 7 is anticipated to have a maximum speed of 46 Gbps. 46 Gbps are available to only one client. The speedometer’s plaid range is being reached at that point.
Next is the increase of channel or band widths. With the addition of new spectrum in the 6 GHz band, the maximum channel bandwidth in the 5 GHz band will increase to 320 MHz wide from its previous maximum of 160 MHz wide. This is a significant gain because the entire 2.4 GHz spectrum has a bandwidth of only 83 MHz Therefore, theoretically, a 44 broadcaster 6GHz Wi-Fi 7 can have a maximum bandwidth of 9.6 Gbps, or 10 Gbps when rounded up.
For each modulation symbol to convey 12 bits, Wi-Fi 7 adds 4096-QAM. When using the same coding, 4096-QAM in Wi-Fi 7 can increase rate by 20% as compared to Wi-Fi 6’s 1024-QAM.
In addition to this, Wi-Fi 7 offers multiple RU’s which increases the efficiency. The Wi-Fi 6 standard severely restricts the flexibility of spectrum resource scheduling by allowing each user to broadcast and receive frames only on the RUs assigned to them. Wi-Fi 7 specifies a technique for assigning several RUs to a single user in order to solve this issue and further increase spectrum efficiency.
Lastly, the big advance is a doubling of the MU-MIMO streams, to 16. This is a key driver behind the industry’s ability to tout such massive overall throughput gains compared with Wi-Fi 6.
Regarding similarities, they use the 6 GHz band, operate at extremely high speeds, and have extremely broad channels. Additionally, neither have many or any client devices to use these new innovations.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Connect Wi-Fi on Windows 7?
- On the screen’s bottom left, click the Start (Windows logo) button.
- Select Control Panel.
- On the Network and Internet tab, click.
- Select Network and Sharing Center by clicking. Choose Join a network.
- Choose the desired Wi-Fi network from the list that is displayed.
- If you want to connect to the chosen network automatically in the future, choose the Connect Automatically checkbox.
- Select Connect from the menu.
- The wireless and gateway may contain the encryption key (WEP or WPA-PSK). Please see the user manual for the wireless gateway.
- Press OK
Is Wi-Fi 7 Coming Soon?
By the end of 2022, phones with Wi-Fi 7 support will be available, powered by a MediaTek chip. Even though the Wi-Fi 7 standard has not yet been developed, phones that are released before 2023 will support it.
Is Wi-Fi 7 better than Wi-Fi 6?
It stands no doubt that Wi-7 is better than Wi-Fi 6 since it covers all the limitation in previous versions. According to the Wi-Fi Alliance, Wi-Fi 7’s maximum throughput will be at least 30 gigabits per second, which is more than three times as fast as Wi-Fi 6’s 9.6 Gbps cap.
What is Wi-Fi 6 Vs 5G?
These two are way too different technologies. While Wi-Fi 6 is a version of WLAN technology, 5G is a cellular technology. The licensing, authentication, and use cases of the various technology types vary. The connectivity between the different technological kinds varies as well. For internet connectivity, businesses employ routers and access points from service providers for Wi-Fi.
Is it worth switching to Wi-Fi 6?
If your present router is older than three years, the quick response is probably “yes.” Nearly all modern consumer electronics, including tablets and laptops, support Wi-Fi 6. It’s worthwhile to think about a Wi-Fi 6 router upgrade even if your devices are still on 802.11ac.
What are the disadvantages of Wi-Fi 6?
Compared to the 5 GHz network, Wi-Fi 6 has a shorter range, and obstructions between the router and the device will cause signal interruptions more frequently. does not significantly increase speed for non-supporting devices.
What is Wi-Fi 7 release date?
As previously said, Wi-Fi 7 is currently being developed. It’s anticipated that the spec won’t be completed until around 2024. Some early pre-certified routers and client devices will, however, hit the market earlier, as we saw with Wi-Fi 6.
Which Bands Will Wi-Fi 7 Operate On?
As with Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7 routers and clients will operate on the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz radio bands. Additionally, Wi-Fi 7 will introduce Multi-Link Operation (MLO) technology, which allows devices to simultaneously send and receive data over multiple radio bands to create a single aggregated connection.